


Sans Merci

by orphan_account



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Detective!AU, F/F, Hollstein endgame
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-18
Updated: 2015-03-30
Packaged: 2018-03-02 01:47:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2795288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Budding journalist, Laura Hollis, is sent to follow the "Lily Murders", a grisly series of murders where the killer leaves behind a single paper lily stuffed down the throats of his victims. Laura is forced to stick with the elusive detective with a complicated past, Carmilla Karnstein.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“One Venti Gingerbread Latte for Laura!”

“That’s me!” said a tiny brunette. She squeezed her way between two burly men who moved to let her pass.

The barista smiled as Laura took the drink from her.

“Have a nice day!” Laura hurried to the exit. She needed to meet with her dad in twenty minutes and Silas traffic was heavy during the Christmas season.

She was just about to push the door open when somebody shoved her from behind. Laura tumbled out of the coffee shop, her drink spilling onto her light brown trench coat.

“Hey!” Laura yelped indignantly as she whirled around to see whoever pushed her.

She found herself face-to-face with a girl about an inch taller than her with wavy black hair and dark eyes. The girl was wearing a black tuxedo jacket over a white button-down tucked into black slacks. Her black boots were dull with use.

“What’s your problem?” Laura asked the girl who simply rolled her eyes.

“Well, some of us can’t afford to strut around casually,” she replied. Her voice was low, sultry, and strangely attractive.

Laura gulped. Then her spilled beverage dripped onto her jeans bringing back her initial irritation.

“That doesn’t give you an excuse to go shoving people around!” she yelled. “I lost my drink!”

The girl glanced at the cup in Laura’s hand and smiled sardonically.

“On the contrary, you still have half of it.” The girl walked around Laura and headed towards a sleek black Prius. “Better luck next time, sweetie.”

She hopped into her car and drove away.

Laura was left standing in the middle of the sidewalk, mouth opening and closing like a fish.

==xxx==

Laura had always been a curious child. She would always ask questions and wouldn’t stop until she got answers. She pestered whoever she thought knew exactly what she needed. When she was in high school, her English teacher, Mr. Sheridan, encouraged her to join the school’s Journalism Club. That was when Laura realized what she wanted to do for a living. She wanted to be a journalist, to find out the truth about things and expose them to the public.

It took _a lot_ of talking, cupcakes, and coffee to get her dad to allow her go to NYU for college. They got into a little fight but Laura eventually convinced her dad that she still remembered the Krav Maga lessons he made her take and that she was a big girl. She promised to call home every night but her dad still forced her to bring a metal baseball bat and a bag full of bear spray (to this day, she has no idea how that helped her. It just scared her first roommate into thinking that she was a psychopath).

Laura understood why he was so overprotective. She lost her mother when she was quite young and her dad never re-married. It was just the two of them against the world ever since. Also, given her dad’s job, he’s seen a lot of terrible things and he wanted to protect Laura from all those. So when he found out that she was taking up journalism in college he nearly lost his mind (good thing she was safe in New York at that time so he couldn't throttle her. Not like he would, though).

He knew that journalists have a tendency to get sent to dangerous places and some even actively put themselves in harm’s way to follow a lead. Laura’s dad refused to speak to her for five days, ignoring her calls but he eventually cracked and called her back. It was tearful conversation, one Laura didn't want to forget because it brought the two of them closer than they already were. A week later, he sent her a Taser gun.

==xxx==

Laura walked into the headquarters of the Silas Police Department with her trench coat slung over her left arm. She rolled up the sleeves of her light blue button-down as she made her way to the office of the Police Chief.

Graham Hollis was a well-built man who towered over his daughter. Laura, at five-foot two, barely reached her father’s shoulder. The Chief-of-Police had close-cropped curly brown hair, the same shade as his daughter’s, and a slightly scruffy but neatly trimmed beard. He stood up as Laura entered his office, a wide smile appearing on his face.

“Laura! You finally made it! How’s my precious angel?” He went around his desk and lifted his daughter in a tight bear hug. He put her down when she started tapping his back and wheezing.

“I’m fine dad,” she answered, smiling back at him. “I couldn't get a taxi. Well, eventually I did because I’m here aren’t I? But yeah, ‘tis the season! And um, I lost half my precious gingerbread latte because some person shoved me so my trench coat got drenched but not really but it’s stained and, and… I’m rambling.”

Laura suddenly found her shoes interesting while her dad laughed.

“It’s perfectly fine, Laura,” Graham said, putting a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “So you’re here to cover the ‘Lily Murders’, right?”

Laura’s face scrunched up. “That’s a terrible name.”

“Well, I didn’t choose it.” Graham peeked outside his door and said something to a person close by before closing the door behind him.

“I’m putting you with the detective in charge of this case.”

Laura squealed in delight and hugged her dad.

"Thank you  _so much,_ dad! That'll make this so much easier," she told him, unable to stop the wide smile that appeared on her face.

Graham hugged her back then made his way back to his desk.

“Just a warning, she’s not really a people-person," he added, chuckling lightly. "But she’s great at her job and one of the best people in the force. I trust her so you don’t have to worry that much.”

"I can manage, dad," Laura answered.

Graham chuckled. "I'm sure you will. If you play just right, she'll warm up to you... probably."

Somebody knocked on the Police Chief’s door.

“Come in,” he said.

And in walked the person Laura hoped to never see again.

“Laura, meet Detective Karnstein. Carmilla Karnstein.”

Carmilla’s eyes widened slightly before narrowing. She smirked.

“Nice to see you again, sweetie.”

==xxx==

“I can’t believe I’m stuck with _you_ of all people.” Laura scowled.

She and Carmilla were heading to the latter’s work area. Graham sent the two of them away so they could get started on their jobs.

“Hey, I didn’t ask for this arrangement,” Carmilla said nonchalantly.

Laura scoffed. “Isn’t there, like, any other detective on this case?”

Carmilla rolled her eyes. “Obviously there are, but I you want the right details, I’m the person to ask.”

Laura grumbled and the pair kept walking.

They reached Carmilla’s desk which, Laura noted, was one of the biggest in the area. It was also a mess of papers, pens, folders, and post-its.

“So why are we back at your desk?” Laura asked, impatiently.

“Relax, cutie, I need a few stuff,” Carmilla answered.

Laura huffed at the nickname. Sure, it made her feel all tingly but this was the person who made her lose her precious, precious latte and laughed at her for it. One does not simply forgive a person for those things.

The dark-haired girl picked up a pile of folders that had a white post-it before taking a black notebook with words “Mine” scrawled on it with red ink and stuffed them into a black messenger bag. Lastly, she grabbed her keys and her badge.

“Let’s roll,” Carmilla said and stalked away from her desk. Laura had to jog to keep up. The other girl may only be an inch taller than her but she walks really fast.

“Where exactly are we going?”

Carmilla simply glanced at Laura and gave her a look that was pretty much mocking her for asking a question with a (supposedly) obvious answer.

“The crime scene.” She pushed the door of the station open and waited for Laura to exit. “There’s been a fourth.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I set Silas somewhere in America for this fanfic. Kind of how Gotham and Central City are set in America but aren't actually places (though they are based on existing cities). Anyway, tell me what you think. Chapter 1 is just a dry run. If I think enough people like it, I'll continue but I post after I write more than half of the fanfic (so that's going to take a while).
> 
> Also, I'll explain why the title's "Sans Merci". If you can figure it out, I'll send you an excerpt of the next chapter. (First 5 to guess it correctly.)
> 
> You can follow me on tumblr. My url's selenade.tumblr.com


	2. Chapter 2

At one point during her last year of college, Laura landed an internship at the Kaba Foundation. She had fun there and she learned a lot but eventually, she moved back to Silas. Laura applied for The Silas Chronicle with a strong recommendation from the head of the foundation in hand. She got the job shortly after.

Laura hadn’t really been doing much at The Silas Chronicle. Sure, she had a column but besides that, she didn’t really write as many articles as she wanted to. Silas had a lot of interesting goings-on but it was difficult for Laura to snag a story ahead of all the other journalists of the newspaper given her limited work experience.

And then the Lily Murders came up.

Everyone knew that the detective working on the case was elusive and difficult to talk to. Nobody was really able to catch a one-on-one interview with her. That was until Laura showed up with a note from her dad saying she could tag along with the investigation. While it didn’t explicitly say that Laura would be talking to the detective in charge, the journalists of The Silas Chronicle knew that Laura had the greatest chance among all of them to actually get details from the said detective.

Some of the senior journalists protested saying that Laura’s sources were unfair because her father was the chief-of-police. The Chronicle’s editor-in-chief, Betty Spielsdorf, brushed aside the negative comments and instead commended Laura on being able to utilize her resources.

And the story was hers to pursue.

==xxx==

“Turn it down!”

“…”

“C’mon, Carmilla, just turn it down!”

“…”

“Argh! You are _so_ insufferable!”

Laura banged her head against the window of the car. The whole vehicle was thrumming with the beat of some punk rock band Carmilla popped in. It made Laura uncomfortable and left her squirming on the leather seats. Carmilla smirked at the shorter girl.

“Cupcake, the sooner you understand that it’s _my_ car and I get to control the music, the better off you’ll be,” Carmilla answered. Her voice was slightly raised so she could be heard over the music.

Laura glared at the detective who simply pushed a pair of sunglasses onto her face.

“Look,” the tiny brunette began. “I can’t interview you properly if I can barely hear myself much less you!”

Carmilla lowered her sunglasses then glanced at the radio before turning it off.

“So what do you want to know about the case?” she asked.

Laura sighed in relief and pulled a journal and a pencil out of her brown satchel.

“When did you find the first body?”

Laura’s pencil was poised over a blank page. However, the dark-haired detective didn’t say anything. Instead, she reached down and began rummaging through her messenger bag.

Laura groaned. “Carm!” She hit Carmilla’s arm. “You’re supposed to let me interview you.”

Carmilla said nothing. She just produced three folders and practically shoved them into Laura’s face without even sparing her a glance.

Laura glared at her companion but took the folders anyway. She looked at the post-it note on top of the folders.

It read: Here are the files you requested. XOXO Natalie

Laura frowned at what was written.

“Who’s Natalie?” Laura asked.

Carmilla shrugged nonchalantly. “Just the girl in charge of evidence.”

“Is she your girlfriend or something?”

Carmilla scoffed. “Why Sundance, you interested in tapping this?”

She gestured at herself and Laura turned away making a sound of disgust.

“You’re unbelievable.”

The journalist turned her attention back to the files. She opened the first folder and found herself staring at a picture of blonde girl lying by a lake. She was wearing a crème trench coat over a white polo and a black pencil skirt. Her mouth was open and her eyes were wide with surprise or shock. Laura wasn’t very sure. There was a garland of flowers on her head and something seemed to be stuffed down her throat.

Before she could ask what that was, Carmilla spoke up.

“First girl was found on December 4 by Bram Lake. Her name’s Michelle Hester. 26 years old.  She was a part-time waitress at some Italian restaurant. The next girl was found four days later, December 8.”

Laura closed the first folder and opened the next. The second girl was in a similar pose as the first, with her hands folded over her stomach. Her dark brown hair seemed to be ripped out of a bun. She was also wearing a garland of flowers.

“Her name’s Ingrid West. She’s 20 years old and a Philosophy Major in Silas University. She was found in the cornfield at the edge of the city. The third girl, like the second, was found four days after the previous.”

Laura looked at the last folder. The blonde girl was wearing a cropped leather jacket over a ripped white t-shirt.

“Rachel Ainsley. 22 year-old Teaching Assistant at the same University Ingrid West attended.”

Carmilla sighed but kept her eyes on the road.

“And now, we found an unidentified girl today, four days after Rachel Ainsley.”

Laura nodded and jotted that into her journal. She noted that there seemed to be a hint of guilt or sadness in Carmilla’s voice. She brushed it off and continued prodding for information.

“Well, what do the girls have in common?”

Carmilla ran a hand through her hair. “Well, they were all strangled to death. The lack of oxygen’s the reason why their eyes are bulging. All of them had a garland of flowers on their heads. The garlands seem to be made by the killer him or herself and not bought off a flower shop or something. They also had a paper lily stuffed down their throats which is why some people dubbed this as the ‘Lily Murders’. A dumb name, if you ask me.”

The journalist gulped and wrote all that down.

“At first, we thought they were all connected to Silas University and that the person responsible for the killings was either a former or current student of the school but the first victim, Michelle Hester was attending some med school.”

“What’s with the paper lilies?”

Carmilla glanced at her companion and tapped her chin.

“A few lines of possibly poetry, type-written. Serial killers usually leave something behind that serves as their signature. In this case, it’s the paper lilies.”

Laura frowned in confusion. “I thought lilies meant ‘I dare you to love me’?”

That’s when Carmilla burst out laughing. Laura pouted at the detective and whacked her arm again.

“What’s so funny?”

Carmilla put her sunglasses on top of her head and wiped her eyes.

“Cupcake, I can’t believe you actually follow that ‘Imagine Me and You’ shit.”

Laura glared at her. Carmilla noticed and grinned.

“A _tiger_ lily means ‘I dare you to love me’,” the detective began. “A lily, in general, is a symbol of chastity and virtue. _But_ it’s also a popular flower for funerals.”

The journalist tilted her head at that, but the pout didn’t leave her face.

Carmilla rolled her eyes.

“Sweetheart, I don’t think the killer would leave a lily because he wants to dare people to love him. I’m pretty sure he left them because they represented death. The girls’ deaths, in particular.”

The car stopped.

“And we’re here. Hop out, Sundance.”

==xxx==

They were at a soccer field. Yellow caution tape surrounded the area. Police and crime scene investigators were everywhere.

Carmilla went under the caution tape after showing her badge to a tall bald man wearing a thick coat. Laura was about to follow when she was stopped by the said man. She looked at Carmilla for help. The darker haired girl sighed and tapped the bald man’s shoulder.

“Derek, she’s with me,” Carmilla said.

The bald man shrugged and let Laura through.

“Thanks,” the shorter girl muttered. Carmilla just shrugged.

“Detective Karnstein! You’re finally here!” Laura peeked behind Carmilla and saw a girl slightly taller than Carmilla with curly red hair walking towards them.

She was wearing plastic boots, a green turtleneck, and white pants. A white plastic suit was draped over her left shoulder.

“Laura, meet Lola Perry, one of the forensic experts.”

“And the only one you actually talk to,” the forensic expert added, shooting Carmilla a pointed glare.

The red-head turned her attention to Laura and smiled as warmly as she could. “Just call me Perry.”

Laura took the hand Perry extended and gave it what she hoped was a firm shake.

“Like Carmilla, erm, Detective Karnstein said, I’m Laura. Laura Hollis. I’m here for The Silas Chronicle,” the shorter said.

Perry’s eyes widened in surprise. “I didn’t know Captain Hollis’ daughter was a reporter.”

Laura tried to keep a straight face. “Yeah, well, I haven’t been writing much.”

“Are we done with the pleasantries?” Carmilla cut in. Laura resisted the urge to groan. Perry, on the other hand, snapped back to business-mode.

“Of course. Right this way, please.” She directed the detective and the journalist to where the body was located.

The victim was wearing soccer paraphernalia: cleats, black knee-high socks, grey shorts, and a grey jersey with “Volk 08” written on the back.

“At least we have a surname,” Carmilla commented. Perry nodded.

“Su– uh, LaFontaine will be arriving to take the body back to the lab to identify the victim so you better start looking around,” she said.

Carmilla gave her a mock salute and bent down. Perry handed her a pair of latex gloves. The detective stared at them with distaste but put them on anyway. Laura was offered a pair but she waved them away saying that she’s “just going to observe.”

The detective walked around the body twice before crouching down to get a better look. After a few minutes of poking and prodding she asked for forceps. Carmilla gingerly opened the girl’s mouth with her left thumb and slipped the forceps in. She slowly pulled out a paper lily then stood up.

“Why didn’t you take this out?” Carmilla asked Perry.

“We were waiting for you,” the latter replied.

Carmilla handed the forceps back to Perry and began inspecting the lily. Laura hastily pulled out her journal and flipped to a blank page.

“Like the rest, the killer put the lily in some time after the girl died which is why it isn’t wet with saliva.” Carmilla opened the lily and read what was written on it before handing it to Perry. “And just like the previous, the writing’s typewritten and sounds like a portion out of a poem.”

“Any clue as to how it’s related to the killings?” Laura asked.

Carmilla glanced at her while removing her gloves.

“I believe that the killer's trying to send a message. I’m just not sure about who the intended recipient is.”

The detective looked back at the body.

“I guess we have four more days to figure this out before another girl dies.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't going to post this until a few more days but, hey, it's Christmas! Merry Christmas, Creampuffs. :) Tell me if there are any typos (I had to re-read Chapter 1 about 20 times before I could correct all the damn typos. LOL)


	3. Chapter 3

The car ride back to the Silas Police Station was a lot more pleasant than the ride from it. That was probably because Laura gave up on trying to get Carmilla to turn the radio off. Either way, the reporter was actually glad for the peace and (not so) quiet.

That peace was shattered shortly after arriving at the station. Carmilla was supposed to report her findings to Graham but apparently he was at a meeting. Which is why Carmilla was now yelling at a six-foot redhead inside an office with a door that had “Lt. Danielle Lawrence” on it.

The red-head was wearing a brown leather jacket over a gray sweater and her badge was attached to the belt around her black pants.

Laura stood up as soon as Carmilla exited the office. The detective was cursing under her breath.

“Carmilla…” Laura’s voice faltered when the said girl didn’t seem to register her voice. The detective growled and stormed off.

Laura started to follow but a hand on her arm stopped her.

“Don’t bother.” She looked at the person who spoke. It was the tall red-head.

“Lieutenant Lawrence, huh?” Laura said nervously. The red-head rolled her eyes and nudged the reporter playfully.

“Just call me Danny,” she corrected. “No need for the formalities.”

Laura couldn’t stop the grin that formed on her face. “Alright-y then, ‘Danny’. I’m Laura–”

“Captain Hollis’ daughter. I know.”

Laura shook Danny’s outstretched hand.

“So you’re the one stuck with Detective Snarky.” Danny chuckled. “Good luck with that. She’s a piece of work. If you need help just give me a ring.”

The lieutenant handed Laura a business card with her name, number, and position on it.

“I will _definitely_ keep that in mind.” The shorter girl tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I better catch up to Carmilla. Did she say where she was heading?”

Danny ran a hand through her hair. “She said something about ‘needing a drink’ so I assume she went to Euphoria.”

“The nightclub?!” Laura asked incredulously. “I thought it’s only open at, well, night!”

The tall red-head laughed. “It’s just a bar before 6 PM. She goes there a lot.”

“Oh.” Laura resisted the urge to hide behind her hands. “I guess I better head there, then.”

“Hey, let me drive you to it.”

Laura’s eyes widened. “What? No! No, I mean. You could be busy being the lieutenant and all. I don’t want to bother you. I’m not really worth the trouble.”

Danny just smiled. “I insist.”

==xxx==

Danny was definitely a better car companion than Carmilla. She didn’t turn her radio on and she actually answered Laura’s questions (except for the ones about Carmilla. She said that they were better answered by the person in question.)

“Well here we are,” Danny said as she pulled up in front of Euphoria, right behind Carmilla’s black Prius. “Are you sure you don’t want me to wait for you?”

Laura giggled. “Yes, I’m sure. I don’t want Carmilla ripping your head off.” They smiled at each other for a moment. “Thanks, Danny.”

“No problem, Laura.”

With that, the reporter stepped out of the car.

Euphoria actually looked like a nice place. The name was written in big black letters which probably lit up as a different color at night. The double doors were made of steel and were quite heavy when Laura pushed them open to enter the establishment.

Carmilla was seated on one of the dark red bar stools with a shot glass in hand.

Laura approached cautiously.

“Hey, uh, Carm,” Laura said as she sidled up to the taller girl.

“It’s either Carmilla, or Detective Karnstein. Nothing else,” the latter snapped.

The reporter grimaced then frowned. “You couldn’t have said so nicely?”

Carmilla glared at her then sighed.

“Sorry. I just have a few issues with Lawrence.”

Laura’s eyebrows shot up. “A few might be a bit of an understatement. Just a bit.”

Carmilla chuckled. “So you have a sense of humor, Lauronica Mars. That’s refreshing.”

The addressee’s jaw dropped. “Excuse you! My sense of humor is perfectly fine! And Lauronica Mars? Really? What are you, five?”

The detective just shrugged and downed the contents of her shot glass.

“Like always, I’m not getting any answers,” Laura mumbled. “So what’s with the two of you. There seems to be a lot of bad blood.”

“Well,” Carmilla sighed. “I joined a year after she did. She was my first partner but I, well, obviously wasn’t. Her partner before me, some girl named Leah, was killed in action-”

“That’s horrible!” Laura interrupted. Carmilla glared at her so she smiled sheepishly and gestured at her to continue.

“Our so-called partnership was short-lived because I was promoted to ‘detective’ a few months later. She obviously didn’t like that. Who would? She’s been around longer than I have but somehow, I get promoted ahead of her. Your father tried promoting me to lieutenant last month but I refused and Danny got the position.” Carmilla shrugged. “Well, I learned a long time ago that there are some things that aren’t worth it. Being lieutenant wasn’t worth making Danny resent me even more. Not that I cared. I just didn’t need that kind of thing annoying me to death.”

“So what did you do before joining the police force?”

Carmilla gave Laura a sly smile. “If I tell you, I’d lose my air of mystery, wouldn’t I?”

The reporter rolled her eyes while her companion laughed.

“Kirsch, I’m done for the day.” She tossed her empty shot glass at the guy sitting across the counter, a big buff guy with a buzz cut wearing a muscle tee.

“Already? Damn. You coming later?” he asked.

“I’m working. Maybe some other time.”

Carmilla stood up and Laura followed her to her car.

==xxx==

The morgue was located at the basement of the police station. It had a single white door with a rectangular window above the door knob. There was a white sign above the door frame with the words “Morgue” written in red letters.

“Oookay. Now what?” Laura asked.

Carmilla glanced at the door.

“LaFontaine’s either done or almost done with the autopsy.” She walked forward and put a hand on the door knob.

“Uh… Who?”

“LaFontaine. The Chief Medical Examiner.” Carmilla pursed her lips before continuing. “They're nonbinary and prefers ‘they’ and ‘their’ pronouns. Just telling you so you won’t get surprised and accidentally make a fool of yourself.”

Laura pouted at Carmilla. “I don’t make a fool of myself!”

The taller girl gave her a look that said _really, Cupcake?_

The reporter glared at her companion “Shall we go in?”

Carmilla rolled her eyes and pushed the door open. They entered and approached a person with short red hair who was wearing a scrub suit and latex gloves. Said person was moving around a body on an operating table.

The detective quickly introduced the two other people. “LaFontaine, this is Laura Hollis. Laura, LaFontaine.”

“Hey! I’d shake your hand put I kinda have some bodily fluids on my gloves,” LaFontaine said.

Laura laughed nervously. “I see. Is that the girl on the soccer field?”

LaFontaine nodded. “Yep.” They turned to address Carmilla. “Her name’s Celine Volk.”

Laura whipped out her journal and began to write as quickly as she can.

“She’s a coach at General Le Fanu High School and a former member of the said school’s soccer varsity team. According to some of her former team mates, they occasionally get together to have a few matches. In their most recent gathering, Celine was the last to leave.”

“And compared to the other girls?” Laura asked.

“It’s the same M.O. Cause of death was asphyxiation with a thin wire. There are signs of a struggle, meaning she was alive while her breath was being cut off. Normally, we’d find bits of DNA under fingernails but just like the rest, hers were scraped clean. Whoever’s doing this knows the procedures.”

LaFontaine’s hand moved to stroke their chin thoughtfully but they thought against it and lowered their hand.

“And we’re still no closer to finding out who the killer is or what the victims have in common.” Carmilla huffed in irritation. “Call me if Perry or you find anything.”

She turned on her heel and stalked out of the room.

“Well, it was nice meeting you LaFontaine,” Laura said.

“Same.” LaFontaine glanced at Carmilla’s retreating form. “You better catch up with Detective Broody.”

“Right! See you around, then!”

And Laura hurriedly followed Carmilla out of the morgue.

==xxx==

“It’s late. I better head home,” Laura said.

Carmilla said nothing and instead, continued staring at a timeline of the serial killings which was drawn on a white board next to her desk.

“Carmilla,” Laura tried again, gently touching the other girl’s arm.

The gesture seemed to surprise the detective and she turned to look at Laura.

“I’ll head home,” the reporter repeated. Carmilla nodded.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.” And her attention was drawn back to the whiteboard.

Laura stayed for a moment before sighing and heading out of the police station. Carmilla obviously needed some time alone. She wasn’t so sure why but there was something about the case that bothered the detective.

She wondered if maybe, just maybe, the broody detective wasn’t as bad as she seemed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last for a while. School started again and it’ll probably take me a while to finish the next few chapters. I have everything planned out, though, so when after our 3rd Quarterly exams, and the Science Week (*groans in pain*) updates will (probably) come quicker.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4 is finally here

Laura found Carmilla sprawled on her desk the next day.

The whiteboard next to her desk had more photos and writings on them. There was a map of the whole city with pictures of the crime scenes and the various landmarks close to them.

The detective herself was still wearing the same clothes as the previous day. Laura found herself smiling at the sight.

 _She’s actually pretty when she’s not glaring at me_.

Laura scoffed and set the two drinks in her hand down on a stool a few feet away from the detective. She wasn’t sure how Carmilla reacts when woken up so it was best to be safe than sorry.

“Carmilla,” she called, poking the said girl’s side. She just groaned and shifted. Laura sighed and tried tapping Carmilla’s arm. “Detective Karnstein.” She poked Carmilla’s cheek but all she got was a scowl and a hurt hand. After several more pokes, gentle shakes, and more sore spots Laura grabbed both of Carmilla’s shoulders and shook her as hard as she could.

“What the- Hey! Dammit, Creampuff!” Carmilla huffed indignantly. Her elbow swung backwards but Laura ducked just in time (if she were to be honest, she didn’t need to do much ducking.)

Nevertheless, she had a victorious grin plastered on her face. Carmilla scowled up at her. “You couldn’t have woken me up nicely?”

“If you were easy to wake up then maybe.”

The detective sat up and growled but stopped after Laura picked up the two coffee cups she brought.

“What the bloody hell are those?”

“Coffee! I figured that you would’ve stayed up late and I thought that _maybe_ you would’ve overslept and end up forgetting to get a drink.” Carmilla raised an eyebrow. “And apparently, you didn’t even leave the department. You look like crap.”

The dark-haired girl sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

 _Woah. That’s actually pretty hot_.

Laura felt her face heating up and she forced herself to look away.

“Yeah, well, I feel like crap too,” Carmilla muttered. She took the cup Laura offered to her and took a sip. “Black. Impressive. How’d you know?”

“I had to interrogate the barista,” Laura replied. She beamed. “I was persistent.”

Carmilla gave her a small smile. “Pretty sure you were.”

Before Laura could ask what they were going to do that day, her phone started ringing.

The detective smirked. “Doctor Who? Really?”

Laura made a face and turned away to answer her phone. It was her editor.

“Betty! Hey!” Laura said.

_Too chipper. Dial down the chipper, Hollis._

To her relief, the person at the other end didn’t seem to mind. She even laughed. “Relax, Hollis. You sound tense!”

Elizabeth Anne Spielsdorf or Betty, for short. Editor-in-chief of The Silas Chronicle and also one of Laura’s first friends at the newspaper. Betty was promoted quite recently, just last month, but she’s been doing a great job. Unfortunately, a lot of people resented Betty’s promotion even more so when she allowed Laura to cover the Lily Murders ( _still a terrible name!_ )

It was added pressure on Laura’s part to make sure that she saw this through ‘til the very end.

“Sorry.”

“Laura, you sound like I caught you in a compromising position,” Betty said, chuckling.

Laura glanced back at Carmilla who was reading a new file that had “Celine Volk” written on it. The detective looked tired, as if she stayed up the whole night. For some reason, Carmilla seemed affected by the case. She may not be familiar with the whole mumbo-jumbo of investigations and what-not, but Laura knew that detectives don’t normally feel personally attached to the victims or the case in general.

“Something like that,” she said softly before turning averting her eyes once again.

“So how’s the elusive detective?” Betty asked. Paper’s rustled in the background followed by the sound of someone typing.

“Well, I certainly understand why she’s difficult to talk to.”

Laughter came from the other end. “Ah, I have to meet this detective some time.” Betty cleared her throat. “Okay, back to business. What have you got so far?”

“I can’t exactly give specifics until the investigation ends but I’ll just say that I have a lot but not enough.”

“Are you done yet, Buttercup?” Laura jumped up.

“Huh? Uh, almost! A few more minutes, I’m just updating my editor,” she answered.

Carmilla gave Laura her signature smirk. “I’m going to head home for a while to take a shower. Meet me at the café where you spilled your drink, cutie.”

The detective winked before strutting away. Laura’s jaw dropped. She was about to answer back when Betty’s voice reminded her that she was talking to someone.

“Sorry, I was just–”

“Was _that_ the detective?” Betty asked. She sounded pleasantly surprised, if not a bit–

Laura shook her head. _Nope. Do not think of that. Nuh-uh_.

“Yes, yes it was.”

Betty whistled. “If she already sounds _that_ sexy, I wonder how she looks like. Dayumn Hollis! How are you handling it?”

Laura rolled her eyes. “Her personality’s actually more difficult to handle, Betty.”

“Tsk. Tsk. That’s a shame. Oh well, good luck with the story, Laura! I’m sure you’ll do well.”

“I won’t let you down, Betty!”

The last thing Laura heard before hanging up was her editor laughing lightly and saying “I know you won’t.”

==xxx==

Laura fiddled with her second cup of gingerbread latte. She’s been sitting in the café for the past twenty minutes and there was still no sign of Carmilla.

_Stupid. Useless. Detective._

“Ugh,” Laura huffed and her head dropped to the table.

“Laura? Is that you?” The journalist immediately shot up. Her head whipped around and looked for the person who spoke.

_Holy–_

“Danny! Hey!” Laura stood up and awkwardly greeted Danny. The taller girl was wearing a similar outfit as the previous day only that her jacket was now brick red and that she was wearing glasses.

“So what are you doing here?” Danny asked. “Shouldn’t you be tagging along with the Snark Master? Or did she ditch you and run off to never return again?”

Laura laughed nervously. “Ah, she just went home to change.”

Danny raised an eyebrow. “Again?” Mild concern flashed in her eyes but disappeared so quickly Laura thought she imagined it.

“What do you mean again?”

Danny sighed and gestured to Laura’s seat before sitting down across the table.

“Carmilla has a tendency to stay late when she finds a case interesting.” Laura tried to hide her surprise. It was rare for Danny to call the broody girl by her name. “But there’s something about this case, I’m not sure what. After we found the second girl, Carmilla started making that elaborate map of hers. I found her asleep on the floor the next day. The same thing happened after the third. I should’ve expected it to happen again. Was she on the floor?”

Laura laughed and shook her head. “She was actually sitting on a chair but I think she was half-lying on her desk.”

“Ah, well, she isn’t exactly neat.” Danny glanced outside the café where a black car was pulling up. “Speaking of the devil.” She got up and Laura followed suite. “I better get going. It was nice seeing you, Laura.”

“Same here, Danny!” Laura grinned. She sat back down and watched as Danny and Carmilla passed by each other by the entrance. The two glared at each other before going on their separate ways. Carmilla ordered another drink before approaching Laura.

“So cutie, you ready?” she asked Laura. She took a sip of her drink and eyed Laura who squirmed uncomfortably under the scrutiny.

“Y-Yeah. But, um, where exactly are we going?”

Carmilla’s lips twitched in amusement. “I need to talk to the victim’s friends and family. This is also a great opportunity for you to interview them yourself.”

“Oh, uh, wow. That’s great! Thank you so much!” Laura jumped up and hugged Carmilla. Upon realizing what she just did, the shorter girl’s eyes widened and she immediately stepped back.

Carmilla looked caught off-guard but her smirk returned shortly after.

“Really, cupcake?”

Laura blushed and looked away. “Sorry, I’m a hugger.”

“I can tell, spaz.” Carmilla sauntered away.

Laura stared after her until Carmilla’s words registered.

“What did you call me?!”

==xxx==

“So who’s this Kim Talbot?” Laura asked as they walked up to a white colonial house with a gray roof.

“She’s one of Volk’s closest friends and the last one to see her before she left,” Carmilla replied. She knocked on the front door. “Ms. Talbot. This is Detective Karnstein of the Silas Police Department. I just want to ask a few questions.”

The door cracked open a bit and a lightly tanned girl peered out.

“I already told everything I know to the police,” she said. Her voice was a little soft and she sounded a bit tired.

“I know. I just need to verify everything.” There was a hint of irritation in Carmilla’s voice and Laura was a little scared that she might snap at the girl if she resists any further.

To the journalist’s relief, Kim just pursed her lips and opened the door wider, letting them in.

“Who’s your companion?” Kim asked.

“My scribe.”

“Hey!” Laura glared at Carmilla who chuckled and just winked at her.

“She’s helping me with the case so I hope you don’t mind her presence here.”

Kim shook her head. “It’s fine. I just wanted to make sure.” She led them to a living room with pale blue walls. There were two midnight blue couches facing opposite each other with a coffee table in between them. “Do you want anything? Water? Coffee?”

Carmilla shook her head. “We’re okay.”

They took a seat one of the couches and Kim sat on the other side.

“What’s your relation with Miss Volk?” Carmilla asked. Laura had her notebook and a pen ready.

“She’s one of my closest friends since high school. We meet up once in a while to have scrimmages.” Kim was wringing her hands. She looked nervous and upset.

“When was the last one?”

“Two days ago.”

Laura stopped writing. “Wait. _Two_ days ago? That’s a day before she was found!”

Carmilla frowned. “And none of you filed a missing person’s report.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Yes. We don’t see each other that often given how busy our schedules are so we didn’t suspect anything when she didn’t call or text. She lives alone but she visits her family during weekends and she wasn’t due for any visits yet since it was only a Monday.”

“Did she know any of these girls?” Carmilla showed Kim the pictures of the other victims with their names written below. The other girl scanned them for a moment before sighing and shaking her head.

“I’m sorry. I’ve never seen them before and I don’t recognize any of those names.”

The detective sighed. “One last question, did Celine say anything before she, well, you know.”

Kim thought for a moment then her face lit up in sudden realization. “A few weeks ago, after one of our usual games, she mentioned that she felt like she was being watched and followed. We just joked about it and said that she probably just had a secret admirer. Oh my God. We should’ve– She– Oh God.”

Carmilla and Laura looked at one another. The detective’s eyes were screaming for help. She obviously had little to no experience with comforting people so Laura spoke up.

“Kim, it’s not your fault. You couldn’t have known. If anyone is to blame, it’s the person responsible.” She gave the other girl what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “You’ve given us important information today. I’m sure it’ll help the investigation so thank you very much for your help.”

Carmilla let out a sigh of relief before getting up. “Yes, thank you Ms. Talbot. We’ll update you on the case.”

Laura followed the taller girl out the door but before they left Kim spoke again. Her voice was shaky either with anger or shock.

“Please find whoever did this. He’s a monster.”

Carmilla had an unreadable expression on her face. She swallowed and took a deep breath before answering.

“I won’t stop until I do.”

==xxx==

And for once the car was quiet.

 _Too quiet_ , Laura thought. They just came from visiting the parents of Celine. Apparently, they haven’t checked the news and nobody informed them about what happened to their daughter. Laura watched as Celine’s mother, a fifty-seven year old lady, clutched Carmilla. She shook the detective screaming at her and telling her that she was lying. Her husband pulled her back and apologized to Carmilla who struggled not to glare at either of them.

In the end, they weren’t really able to provide any new useful information and the detective was obviously frustrated.

 _If her huffs of irritation are any indication_ , Laura thought as Carmilla let out another one of the said huffs.

“Hey, I’m kinda hungry and we kind of skipped lunch,” the journalist said. It was two in the afternoon and her stomach wouldn’t stop rumbling.

Carmilla glanced at Laura. “Right, we should, uh, we should eat.” She ran a hand through her hair. Laura couldn’t tell what she was feeling because she was wearing her aviator shades. “So where do you want to eat?”

==xxx==

They ended up eating at Johnny Rockets. Carmilla cast Laura _several_ judgmental looks on the way there and while the two of them were eating.

Laura just told her companion to “Shove it. I’m hungry.” She took a sip of her Chocolate Peanut Butter Malt before speaking again. “So what’s with the note?”

Carmilla stared at Laura as if she just dropped from outer space. “The what?” She idly picked at her fries before selecting the least greasy one and popping it in her mouth.

“You know, the one that’s folded into a lily with ‘some poem’ in it?” Laura clarified.

“Oh. That one.” Carmilla ate another fry. “It’s from a ballad called ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’ by John Keats.”

“What’s it about?”

“A knight falls in love with a beautiful lady who disappears, leaving him miserable.” Carmilla’s voice sounded as if she wasn’t so sure why she was telling any of this to Laura. “I think the killer’s trying to send a message to someone who scorned him, a woman, probably.”

“That’s why he’s only targeting girls?” Laura asked after swallowing a bite of her burger.

Carmilla nodded. “That’s what I’m assuming.” She winked at Laura. “You catch on fast, cupcake.”

Laura rolled her eyes and Carmilla just laughed at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just finished it. Please tell me if there are typos or what-not. I'm too lazy to double-check rn. Sorry this took a while. Science Week is next week (*hiss*) and I've been preparing. Chapter 5 might take a while too so yeah. Anyway, thanks for those who are still following this story!


	5. Author's note

I'm sorry if you thought this was an update. Unfortunately, this is going to be put on hold. A few months ago, my laptop was stolen and Chapters 5-10, along with my extremely detailed plot summary were there. I'm unwilling to re-write them because apparently I can still recover those files because I synced my laptop with OneDrive (BLESS) and I was actually satisfied with the stuff I wrote. But apparently I can't access them because I don't have a laptop that runs on Windows 8.1 (mine was the only one that did. Everybody else in my immediate family is still using Windows 7) So I'm going to update this fanfic when I get a new laptop. When? I'm not very sure. So I'm really,  _really_ sorry. I'm just borrowing my mom's laptop because she doesn't even use the damn thing. In the meantime, I'm working on another fanfic and I'll start publishing as soon as I wrote at least half of it (and I am now doing it on an external hard drive because there is no fucking way I'm losing that shit since it just sits around in my room.) So please bear with me. Thanks, guys!


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